Page 47 of The Serpent’s Shadow

Only to arrive a few minutes too late—the Huscarl shock troop already doing their slaughter of the Ljosalfar, who hadn’t seen them coming.

Logaithn had been right to worry about Vikingrune Academy closing its gates. The elves hadn’t taken him seriously, and he’d lost his head for it. I’d seen close to ten long-eared bodies on the ground in and around the camp, which meant a meager third of the elves from their faraway realm had made it away.

As we fled through the night, trying to avoid capture for the second time from the school I attended, I noticed the lock-jawed expression on Corym E’tar’s face.

There was no time for mourning because we were still in danger. The Huscarls were fresh-footed, whereas we were exhausted.

I panted with every fall of my boots. My legs burned, my heart thundered. All I could think about was putting one foot in front of the other, or I’d collapse.

We came to a large piney tree, taller than the rest, and stooped for a few seconds to gather ourselves and listen for our pursuers.

“W-Why?” I croaked.

Corym looked at me, clearly understanding my question by the severe expression on his beautiful face.

“You could have left, b-been safe.” Doubling over, I put my hands on my knees, forehead inches from the ground.

The forest floor looked so comfortable here. I could lay down, close my eyes, await oblivion . . . as the Huscarls swarmed me and brought me back to campus—their original intent.

I shook the silly notion aside, fighting against my intrusive thoughts.

“Don’t.” Corym shook his head, swallowing hard while he tried to gather himself. His chest puffed with heavy breaths under his tunic. He didn’t even wear his golden armor, since we had taken off in the middle of the night, abruptly, to visit Lady Elayina. “Don’t ask foolish questions,lunis’ai,” he finished.

“You already saved me once!”

His golden eyes fell on mine. “You think I’d let that day at the creek be for naught?”

“I was always going to return to Vikingrune, Corym. You know that—you allowed that!” I threw my arms up, frustrated and vexed by this strange, alien man.Why does he seem to care so much for me? He chose me over his own flesh and blood. Not even Arne Gornhodr did that!

Then again, those two couldn’t be compared. They were both gorgeous men to look at, with similar builds, but they had completely different personalities.

Arne was an opportunist. He’d told me that directly. Corym was honorable. His sense of justice would confuse most humans. I wasn’t sure if he was born that way, or if it was something aboutmethat made him so gallant, vigilant.

“Aye, you are going to return,” Corym said, his words echoing through the green. “On your own terms. Not in the arms of the soldiers.”

His words melted my heart and gave me confidence, yet they sounded naïve at a time like this. “Oh, Corym . . .” I said, choking out the words. “Do you truly believe they’ll let me waltz back in now? After everything that’s happened? I’ve been in the company of theenemy—the elves—for weeks now! Surely they think I’ve been compromised, or they wouldn’t have sent Huscarls after me.”

Corym shook his head. “Don’t assume they came for you, Ravinica. As you said:Weare the enemy. Not you.”

Perhaps he was right. Maybe I was being selfish, thinking they had come for me. If that was the case . . . “Then why did they abduct me in the first place, at the creek?”

“You’ll have to ask the academy that,” he said, “or your golden-haired betrayer.”

I frowned, bowing my head in shame. To think I had put so much trust into Arne, and he had purposefully led me into a trap—dragged me from my hospital bed in Eir Wing to do it.

I hoped my other friends had learned what a despicable bastard he was.

“My thinking is it has something to do with the Ancient One,” Corym added a minute later.

Our chests heaved in slower intervals. He looked over my shoulder, went to a knee, touched the soil with his bare hand. When he stood, he took my arm. “Come on, we can’t dally. I feel their boots not far behind.”

Clenching my jaw, I nodded, and we pushed off the pine tree and into the thicker woods.

Nettles and brambles bit at me as we waded through thick foliage, running blindly through Delaveer Forest. The forest was dozens of miles long, and we seemed to be running aimlessly.

I knew, in my heart, it would only be a matter of time.

Corym, an optimist, said, “We’ll cut south. Try to throw them off our trail through Guldan’tan River.”

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